Jabra Eclipse Bluetooth Earpiece Hardware Review

Jabra has mostly reached the point where one can be guaranteed a quality product. Its audio and wireless products are usually topnotch, and we have had the opportunity to review more of Jabra’s recent offerings.

Jabra does seem to have an issue with resting any perceived laurels, which is great for consumers, as it gets us new pieces like the Jabra Eclipse, one of the company’s newer bluetooth earpiece offerings.

The earpiece itself is a sleek number, with a defined angle asking the main shaft. It had a smaller profile than the Jabra Stealth, but is somewhat lighter, coming in at 0.19 oz. This one is aimed at right ear use, and the angling ensures this. It’s grey and black with audio perforations; an all-white option with matching case is also available.

The obvious difference is the addition of the charging case; as such, the earpiece doesn’t need a charging port. Instead, it has subtle magnetic contacts that come into play when the unit is nestled inside the oval-ish case. The case houses the expected micro-USB charging port, and the matching set of contacts on the inside effect charging. It also houses a battery, so that it retains a charge that can be used to charge the unit even when it isn’t connected to an electrical outlet. The charging puck mostly matches the earpiece in color, being black and weighing 1.23 oz. It packs in NFC and extends standby time by 4 hours.

The rest of the retail box contains ear gels and a micro-USB cable.

Using it is quite simple. After charging, turning it on is a simple matter of removing the earpiece from the case and turning off is the reverse operation. Pairing it will be simple for anyone who has previously paired bluetooth devices, and the aforementioned NFC is another option for pairing. Once inserted in one’s ear, double tapping invokes voice operations, call answering, etc. Noticeably, Google Now is easier to manipulate, and it boasts 10 hours of talk time with the charger case, and 6 without.

The companion Jabra Assist apps adds a bit more functionality, like geo-tagging, battery management, software upgrades and more. It still needs yet another Jabra app installed on one’s device to work though.

The case is a great idea, and works well. For some, it might take some getting used to, because it is a needed piece to control battery usage and charging.

Jabra Eclipse Bluetooth Earpiece Hardware Review Rundown

9

Build Quality - Solid feel, with clean fusings.

9

Functionality - Intuitive use as bluetooth portal.

9

Android Compatibility - Works well with bluetooth enables smartdevices; Google Now compatibility is refined and easily accessible.

9

Value - A bit of an investment at $99.99.

9

Overall - Somehow, it manages to be an upgrade from earlier earpieces.